For friars like us, living in Jaffa is like being in touch with the whole world. And for Franciscans this is a very important element for us to be able to exercise the spirit of offering welcome and service to all those who come to the structures made available by our dear Custody of the Holy Land: a church, the convent and a school. There have been two celebrations this month which in particular have highlighted this universality of our community.
On 30th August, we received the Filipino charismatic group, Couples for Christ, which organized – under the influence of the Olympic Games in Beijing – its own Olympic Games, with more than 200 participants, the majority of whom were women, care-providers working in Israel, who attend the catechism course offered by the movement. They include groups of married couples, singles, adolescents and children. The essential element is to do everything for Jesus Christ and it was truly something exceptional. The poor, those who love the Lord, have imagination, great joy and are able to enjoy themselves even with very few resources. As usual, the premises of our school of the Holy Land were placed at their disposal. The competitions finished around midnight.
On Saturday 13th September, on the other hand, all our property was transformed into a little India. About 2000 Indians from the regions of Kerala and Goa, in the south of India, came to our church to celebrate the feast of the birth of the Virgin Mary. The feat was postponed to be able to take advantage of the visit of H.E. Mons Berbard MOURES, Bishop of Bangalore, who met the community and celebrated Mass in the Konkani language. Honouring their tradition, in which this feast is the expression of great joy, they marked this by taking part in the joint lunch which they all offered, especially eating the rice blessed by the priest before the Solemn Mass. From early morning, about twenty young Indians – only men! – took over the school. Laden with sacks of rice, vegetables, gas cylinders, enormous pans and all the other equipment, plates and everything they needed, they prepared the food for all the two thousand people who took part in the celebration. It was a huge job! At 5 p.m., when the Mas was over, everybody poured into the courtyard of the school, gathering around their Bishop and the parish priest Fr. Toufic BOU MERHI, to celebrate the birth of the Virgin Mary: the greatest gift that the Lord could offer man. The school courtyard was transformed into a meadow filled with beautifully coloured flowers, heightened by the gorgeously colourful saris worn so elegantly by the Indian ladies. Truly an enormous and very rich bouquet of flowers presented to the Virgin Mary.
Fr. Arturo Vasaturo ofm
On 30th August, we received the Filipino charismatic group, Couples for Christ, which organized – under the influence of the Olympic Games in Beijing – its own Olympic Games, with more than 200 participants, the majority of whom were women, care-providers working in Israel, who attend the catechism course offered by the movement. They include groups of married couples, singles, adolescents and children. The essential element is to do everything for Jesus Christ and it was truly something exceptional. The poor, those who love the Lord, have imagination, great joy and are able to enjoy themselves even with very few resources. As usual, the premises of our school of the Holy Land were placed at their disposal. The competitions finished around midnight.
On Saturday 13th September, on the other hand, all our property was transformed into a little India. About 2000 Indians from the regions of Kerala and Goa, in the south of India, came to our church to celebrate the feast of the birth of the Virgin Mary. The feat was postponed to be able to take advantage of the visit of H.E. Mons Berbard MOURES, Bishop of Bangalore, who met the community and celebrated Mass in the Konkani language. Honouring their tradition, in which this feast is the expression of great joy, they marked this by taking part in the joint lunch which they all offered, especially eating the rice blessed by the priest before the Solemn Mass. From early morning, about twenty young Indians – only men! – took over the school. Laden with sacks of rice, vegetables, gas cylinders, enormous pans and all the other equipment, plates and everything they needed, they prepared the food for all the two thousand people who took part in the celebration. It was a huge job! At 5 p.m., when the Mas was over, everybody poured into the courtyard of the school, gathering around their Bishop and the parish priest Fr. Toufic BOU MERHI, to celebrate the birth of the Virgin Mary: the greatest gift that the Lord could offer man. The school courtyard was transformed into a meadow filled with beautifully coloured flowers, heightened by the gorgeously colourful saris worn so elegantly by the Indian ladies. Truly an enormous and very rich bouquet of flowers presented to the Virgin Mary.
Fr. Arturo Vasaturo ofm